MAN and energy supplier E.On are going to install fast chargers for electric trucks at 170 locations in Europe. The first site is due to go into operation this year, with 80 planned by the end of 2025. 125 sites are to be built in Germany.

The focus of this collaboration lays on Germany, where 125 charging locations will be built. E.On and MAN are also building further sites in Austria, the UK, Denmark, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. An exact distribution has not yet been announced. However, it is clear that they are to be built in “strategically selected MAN service bases”, primarily in industrial areas with high truck volumes or near motorways. The target date by which all 170 locations will be available is not yet specified. The lorry charging network will be set up with 400 kW CCS charging points. This should be enough to recharge electricity for a range of 300 kilometres in 45 minutes.

The fast chargers will still be accessible to commercial vehicles from other manufacturers too. “To ensure public accessibility regardless of the respective vehicle brand, the charging stations are installed in separate areas from the MAN service centres wherever possible – with separate entrances and exits for the charging area. During the day, drivers also benefit from the existing infrastructure such as sanitary facilities and recreation rooms,” according to the two companies.

The rollout of commercial vehicle-compatible charging infrastructure is picking up speed with the new cooperation between MAN and E.On. Through the Milence joint venture, MAN – in the form of its parent company Traton – is already active together with Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group in the area of high-speed lorry chargers. The target here is 1,700 charging points.

The political goals for decarbonising transport in Germany and Europe are clear: the German government wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy road freight transport in Germany by 55% in 2030 and be climate-neutral by 2045. The EU recently agreed to reduce CO2 emissions from heavy goods vehicles by 65 per cent by 2035 and by 90 per cent in 2040 compared to 2019.

According to E.On CEO Leonhard Birnbaum, this EU-wide reduction of 90 per cent is one of the main drivers for the project. This is because electromobility is “a central key” to achieving this goal. “We are investing massively to give the infrastructure for electric heavy goods transport a decisive boost and to set the course for sustainable logistics and green supply chains,” says the manager. MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp believes that around 50,000 charging points for heavy commercial vehicles are needed in Europe by 2030.